Las Vegas A's

Will the A’s win the series against the Cubs at Wrigley?

by
Tony Reyes
September 18, 2024

What: MLB Regular Season Game
When: Wednesday, September 18
Who: Oakland Athletics vs. Chicago Cubs
Time: 2:20 p.m. ET
Where: Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL)

The Cubs and Athletics have split the first two games of this series. The Cubs host the A’s for the final game of this series this afternoon.

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics rank 26th in the majors in runs scored, 25th in batting average, 24th in on-base percentage, and 14th in slugging. Brent Rooker has been the standout performer, boasting a .302 batting average this year with 38 home runs, 109 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, and 79 runs scored.

Shea Langeliers has also had a solid year, hitting .217 with a .278 on-base percentage, 26 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 52 runs scored. JJ Bleday is hitting .246 with a .329 on-base percentage, 20 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 72 runs scored.

Basso on the bump. pic.twitter.com/76AKiKdwI8

— Oakland A's (@Athletics) September 18, 2024

Brent Rooker has been particularly impressive in the last week, hitting .344 with three home runs, ten RBIs, five runs scored, and two stolen bases.

Zack Gelof is also performing well, hitting .345 with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored in the last week. JJ Bleday has a .320 batting average and a .452 on-base percentage in the last week, with one RBI and one run scored.

Over the last seven games, the Athletics have hit .245 with a .302 on-base percentage, seven home runs, and 25 runs scored.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs have been performing exceptionally well on offense since the All-Star break, especially against left-handed pitchers following the addition of third baseman Isaac Paredes.

Since Paredes joined the team on July 28, the Cubs have improved to a .325 wOBA and .318 on-base percentage against left-handed pitchers, compared to their earlier marks of .299 and .310, respectively, at the beginning of the season.

Here is today's #Cubs starting lineup for the series finale against Oakland!

Tune in: https://t.co/Gs2hZXyTjH pic.twitter.com/kjnnzvzseP

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 18, 2024

In the past week, Michael Busch has been on fire at the plate, hitting .318 with a .333 on-base percentage, three home runs, eight RBIs, and four runs scored. Cody Bellinger has also been performing well, hitting .308 with two home runs, six RBIs, and eight runs scored.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has also stood out, hitting .273 with a .360 on-base percentage, two home runs, five RBIs, and five runs scored.

Overall, the Cubs have collectively hit .311 in the last week, recording nine home runs and 39 runs scored in the last six games.

A’s-Cubs Best Bet

Both starting pitchers are performing well, ranking in the league’s top half in xERA, xBA, walk rate, and barrel rate.

Additionally, both bullpens have been strong, ranking in the league’s top half in ERA. The main concern lies with Chicago’s lineup.

While I believe the Cubs win the final game of the series, I believe the better bet will be the Under in this one. It opened at 8 runs and has since been bet down to 7.5.

I’ll take Under 7.5 runs in what I believe will be a 4-3 victory for the Cubs.